


Unexpected Truths

by mandynightfury



Category: Liberty's Kids
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Post-Season/Series Finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:06:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandynightfury/pseuds/mandynightfury
Summary: After the events of Liberty's Kids, Sarah must face her own hurdles as she learns a shocking truth about herself.
Relationships: James Hiller/Sarah Phillips
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

It is said that when Rome fell, the human race was dwindling, and what happened next is not exactly known, some say that the humans prayed for a way to know when they’d found a suitable mate, others say that a ritual was performed on a select few, either way, the human race was never the same. The populations were split into three groups, the strong and savage alphas, the normal betas, and the kind, caring omegas. The betas, with no enhanced abilities, made up the majority of the population worshipped the alphas for their prowess and their omega mates for keeping them in line. But one day that all changed, the betas rebelled, striking down any alpha and omega they could find. The surviving population was scarce and driven into hiding until one day war broke out again. Desperate, the betas begged for the alphas to help and quickly the alphas and their omegas climbed up the political ranks until all reigning monarchs were alphas who ruled with their omega mates beside them. Alphas and omegas became desirable, and it was frowned upon for an alpha or omega to marry anything but each other. Now the decades, even centuries have passed and our story takes us to England and a young woman who had set off to America to seek out her father. She had grown to love life in America and the friends she made there, even survived their Revolutionary War, and as their new alpha president, George Washington declared the colonies the free and independent United States. She had seen a lot growing up, but as she approached her twenty-first birthday, her world was about to be turned upside down.


	2. Unexpected Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sarah is forced to come to terms with what her recent twenty-first birthday means for her future, and her feelings toward a certain blonde. Meanwhile, James may just be hiding a secret of his own.

“James slow down! James, James, ahhhhh!” screamed Sarah and James brought the panting horse to a stop. “That’s the last time I ever agree to ride with you!” sniffed Sarah with mock hatred.

“You know you loved it. Besides, it was you that said it was urgent that you pick up the letter from your mother, and we have to beat the storm home,” smirked James, earning a pout from Sarah.

“Ugh fine, let’s head home then,” said Sarah, grabbing the letter from the docksman and walking back over to James, who helped her back into the saddle before mounting the horse himself. 

“As m’lady wishes!” laughed James, giving the horse a light kick, causing the animal to speed off toward the printshop. Halfway back the thunder cracked and rain began to pour.

“Oh James, please hurry, it’s freezing!” shivered Sarah. James paused before handing the drenched girl his own coat. “Thank you, but James I can’t take this, what about you?” asked Sarah both pleased by the added warmth of the coat but worried for her friend’s wellbeing.

“I’ll be fine, honest. It’s only a few minutes ride away, besides I spent years living on the streets, through many storms, I don’t think a little water is going upset me too much,” laughed James, but causing a slight frown from Sarah. James rarely talked about his life on the streets, but Sarah could assume that it was brutal, and James just confirmed her suspicions. They sat in silence for the remainder of the ride as Sarah was lost in her thoughts, but in a few minutes, they had reached the print shop, with James jumping out of the saddle and tying up the horse before helping Sarah off the horse and into the print shop. The pair removed their drenched coats, as James went to light the candles and the hearth, Sarah removed the crisp letter from her pocket. Once James had left the room she broke the seal and began to read.

_Dearest Sarah,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. As you know you are approaching your twenty-first birthday and it is time you settled down. I have arranged for a trip to London a month after your birthday where a ball is being thrown for all the young ladies that have come of age. I know that you haven’t presented yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Your mother, grandmother and all of your aunts are omegas, so it’s almost guaranteed that you will be too, so it’s time for you to find yourself an alpha and become his mate and bear your parents some grandchildren to dote after. I know you love writing but it’s time to put those childish thoughts aside and stop running around with those friends of yours. It’s time to focus on settling down and raising a family. Remember there’s nothing more beautiful and passionate than the bond between an alpha and their omega. I will be there to pick you up a week from your birthday and your father will join us in England in time for the ball._

_Your Mother_

_-Lady Phillips_

Sarah folded up the letter, tears in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks as she set the letter aside. Her birthday had been two days ago, with Doctor Franklin and James making the young woman a nice dinner and presenting her with a pair of earrings. Sarah had dreaded the day, knowing that on her twenty-first birthday she could present as an omega at any moment. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t know until she had met her mate, and with that came her first heat cycle, unlike alphas who presented no matter what at fifteen. Her mate would then claim her and they would have to get married shortly after. Sarah never understood why the beta men and women were so jealous, sure you met your mate, but you also had no control over your hormones, which was absolutely mortifying. She can’t believe her mother is making her go to a gathering just to see which alpha would bring out her inner omega, where odds are she’d leave claimed by a man she hadn’t previously met.

“Sarah, have you seen the other candlestick?” called James from upstairs, the sound causing Sarah to jump and knock over an inkwell, shattering it. Embarrassed, she frantically ducked down to pick up the broken glass. 

“Sarah are you alright?” cried James, rushing into the room, his eyes wild, with something lingering behind them, something that made Sarah’s spine tingle.

“Yes, I just bumped into the table while reading mother’s letter and I...uh must have broken the inkwell,” mumbled Sarah, embarrassed.

“Sarah, you’re bleeding!” yelped James, quickly grabbing Sarah’s hand to examine the shallow cut. “I’ll go grab the bandages,” James said as he jumped up and rushed to the other room to grab the bandages, leaving behind a very confused and emotional Sarah. As James returned and crouched down beside her, Sarah’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“Sarah, what’s wrong?” inquired James as he tenderly wrapped her hand in the cloth bandages.

“I’m alright, it’s just mother is making me go to some stupid suitors ball, all because she said it’s time I gave up writing to settle down,” sobbed Sarah, wrapping herself in James’ unsuspecting arms, causing the unsuspecting young man to tumble, leaving the pair sprawled, sitting up against the wall.

“Shh, Sarah, it’ll be alright you’ll see. I’m sure whoever you pick will let you write,” soothed James, trying to hide the strain in his voice as he thought about Sarah marrying someone else. Sure he had found her quite pretentious when they first met and she hit him with her book stuffed pillowcase all those years ago, but over the years, he’s grown to care for Sarah, and dare he say love her.

“You don’t understand, these stuffy old fools just want a pretty young bride to help carry on their bloodline!” cried Sarah as James continued to hold her, a deep rumble echoed in his chest, causing the young woman to relax, without even noticing why. The sound caused Sarah to subconsciously snuggle closer and left a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I think I need some fresh air. I’m going to grab some apples to go with dinner, I’ll be back in an hour,” sniffed Sarah, as she untangles herself and stood up, heading toward the door.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” asked James, worriedly. James had always been protective of everyone at the Pennsylvania Gazette, but this was something completely different, a whole new side of James, and deep down, Sarah liked it.

“I’m sure, I’ll be fine,” said Sarah, brushing off the idea of taking James with her, when she really just wanted to be alone.

“Alright, be safe,” whispered James causing Sarah to smile as she headed out the door. As Sarah walked down the road, she noticed all the happy beta couples going about their daily lives, at least they got to choose who they loved. With that her thoughts wandered to James, the stubborn young American, who she’d fallen for over the years, without even noticing. Now she’d never get the chance to be with the charming beta boy, if only he’d been an alpha, then her mother may have gotten over the fact that he wasn’t some much older wealthy Englishman. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even realize that she stopped in an alleyway, as she felt regret of never telling James how she felt and cursing the restrictions her designation put on her, long before she would ever present. 

“Hey there girlie, what’s a pretty lady like you doing out here all alone?” purred a man, stepping out of the shadows and startling Sarah out of her thoughts.

“Oh, just going for a walk, but I see that I’m intruding, so I’ll just be on my way,” said Sarah as she frantically looked or anything she could use to defend herself, but unfortunately she found nothing.

“Not so fast missy, don’t think I can’t smell it on you. What a nice pretty omega you are, and unclaimed at that. Don’t worry we can fix that real quick,” smirked the man, now revealed to be an alpha, his eyes practically glinting with a predatory glare.

“No please, I’m with someone. Stay back!” cried Sarah, her confidence gone as every inch of now radiated fear and panic. Suddenly without warning a glass bottle flew from behind her, shattering against the wall, mere inches from the vile alphas face.

“You leave her alone,” snarled out her savior, his voice dripping with authority that only an alpha could muster. She whirled around but to she shock she was greeted with an all to familiar and unexpected face.

“James!” gasped Sarah as she stared at the man she been sure was a beta. Sure he was cocky but he never emanated the typical egomania that most alphas exhibited. Yet here he was, shoulders tensed, his eyes glinting with rage, as every inch of his body emanated protectiveness. But that was not what drew Sarah’s attention, it was the small pointed fangs revealed when he snarled at the other alpha that got her attention. Without warning the two men charged at each other, snarling as they gripped each other’s shoulders. Sarah watched in horror as the man struck James’ face, leaving several bleeding scratches and sending him crashing into a wall. The sight of James’ injuries caused the feeling in Sarah’s gut to increase until the pressure became too much and she dropped to her knees. As the other alpha went to strike again, James leaped up and slammed the older alpha into the wall, snarling, his fangs bared. The older alpha finally accepted defeat and took off, limping as he fled. 

Sarah sat there stunned, not only was James an alpha, but he was showing his fangs. Alphas only show their fangs when protecting or claiming their mate, yet here James was in all his alpha glory, looking at her with his blue eyes clouded by concern, his fangs still peeking out between his lips.

“Sarah, are you alright?” yelped James rushing over to Sarah and pulling her into his embrace. The sudden contact caused the discomfort in Sarah’s abdomen to only worsen, and she let out a pained whimper, causing James’ eyes to widen with alarm.

“James, something’s wrong, my stomach…” gasped Sarah between waves of pain. Suddenly James’ nose twitched and his eyes got even wider as his jaw dropped.

“Uh...sarah, I think I know what’s wrong...um, I guess you’re kind of an omega...and you know going into….” stuttered James blushing as Sarah grasped the gravity of what James was saying.

“Does that mean that we are…” whispered Sarah.

“I guess so. I knew from the moment we met though, I didn’t need my fangs or your presentation to tell me that I love you,” chuckled James. “Come on, let’s get you home,” whispered James soothingly as the deep rumble from earlier once again rumbling in his chest as he gathered Sarah into his arms and walked the short distance back to the print shop.

Once they had arrived, James set Sarah gently onto the couch before sitting down beside her. She immediately snuggled up against him as James welcomed her into his embrace, watching as the young woman trembled in his arms. James pressed a quick kiss to his future mate’s forehead, causing Sarah to look up before meeting him with a kiss of her own as their lips crashed together eagerly.

However, the young couple’s heated kiss was interrupted, by the sound of the front door opening, causing the couple to pause and look worriedly at the door, their instincts on edge. As the door opened to reveal Doctor Franklin and Lady Phillips the couple visibly relaxed, realizing that the new arrivals weren’t intruders. The four of them eyed each other in a stunned silence until it was Sarah who decided to shatter the awkward silence.

Snuggling deeper into James’ side, nuzzling under his chin, as James rested his chin atop her head, Sarah looked at her mother and said, “Mother there’s something we need to talk about,”. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking of doing an epilogue, what do you guys think?


	3. Not A Slave To My Designation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mrs. Phillips' arrival, a brand new set of challenges arises. When faced with following her heart or following the desires of society, the choice is clear for Sarah, but will it be as clear to those around her?

“Sarah, what is the meaning of this! Your Designation Ball is next week and here I find you with some low ranking beta!” she squawked as Sarah winced and James growled when he saw Sarah’s reaction.

“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this, right James?” said Doctor Franklin, a slight growl in his voice not missed by the young man. Doctor Franklin wanted the truth and James knew better than to try and hide it. 

“Sarah was upset so she went for a walk and she was nearly….nearly…” he trailed off unable to say the words that would just bring up what horrifying thing would have happened had he not gotten there in time.

“Had it not been for James I would have been beaten, forcibly defiled and left for dead,” she growled at Mrs. Phillips, the older omega’s eyes widening.

“Why were you out alone! Where was your escort?” she stuttered, glaring at James’ as if it were his fault. While omegas tended not to be as outwardly confrontational as alphas, they were notorious for lashing out when their offspring was threatened. Mrs. Phillips was definitely in one of those moods if the waves of anger and disdain rolling off her towards James were any indication.

“Mother I know what you’re thinking but James had nothing to do with it! It was me who told him I wanted to go alone even when he offered to join me! I was the one who was so deep in my thoughts about the stupid gathering that I didn’t notice the ill intentions of that man right away! James is the one who risked his life to protect me and who consoled me and carried me back home!” growled Sarah, whom despite her new designation refused to let it affect her stubbornness and fiery personality. 

“Sarah, I’m glad you’re alright but you need to calm down, we can’t risk you going into hysterics. We’ll find you a mate at the ball and they’ll protect you no one would dare hurt you again,” she soothed, trying to keep her daughter calm, but her words only seemed to anger her daughter.

“I will not find a mate at my party! It’s barbaric, outdated and offensive towards omegas! You expect me to stand there and just let an alpha pick me and if he sets off my heat, become engaged!” scoffed Sarah, letting out all her bottled up emotions towards the dreaded gathering that had been hanging over her head for almost a year.

“Sarah, that’s how it’s been done for eight generations, I’m sorry but it’s already been planned, all young omegas and assumed omegas will be presented to all unmarried alphas until a match is found!” she explained, hoping her daughter would understand that she was just trying to find her a suitable husband.

“And what if he’s like the alpha I ran into today? Cruel and vile, and who wouldn’t hesitate to take what he wanted even if it was by force?” she spat, as her mover visible recoiled, James growling beside her at the mention of her being with an abusive partner, or frankly any alpha other than him.

“You know your father and I would never consent to that! The only time the match would be officiated immediately is if a true alpha sends you into a full blown heat. Breakout heats can be weathered alone but a full blown heat is unbreakable,” the older woman explained, “There’s only one known unmated true alpha, and that’s the prince, so you should have nothing to worry about,” she soothed, but Sarah wasn’t hearing any of it

“But what if I’ve already found my mate! I love James and our inner designations agree? Don't you see it! James’ fangs are out and I’m about to have my first heat! I couldn’t stand to be matched to anyone else!” she sniffed, getting misty eyed as James hummed in approval.

“Sarah that’s preposterous! I can barely smell alpha on him! Nothing is concrete until you’ve officially mated, so you and I will be heading to England tomorrow and not speak of this again until after the ceremony!” she snipped as Sarah descended into sobs.

“Mrs. Phillips, we’ve had a long journey and I think it’s time we all retire after this physically and emotionally exhausting day,” sighed Doctor Franklin picking up Mrs. Philips trunk and carrying it up the stairs to Henri’s old room, while Sarah continued to sob. Once the adults were out of sight, Sarah had finally calmed herself enough to speak.

“Oh James what are we going to do?” she sobbed, as James held her close, thinking about what limited options they had.

“It looks like you’ll have to go to the party, but you can turn down any offers, your designation doesn’t rule you,” James soothed, as Sarah nodded and went to speak but James continued. “That being said if you find a better alpha, one who can give you the life of luxury you deserve, I’ll understand,” he choked out, as Sarah looked up at him in shock.

“I’ve found my mate and you yours, I could never do such a thing to you. Regardless of what my mother says, the only type of life I want with you,” she said kissing him on the cheek.

“But Sarah, I can’t provide you with a title or status, or even an inheritance. I’m a lowly street rat, and that’s all they’ll ever see me as,” he signed standing up, reaching a hand down to help Sarah to her feet as well. 

“I told you I don’t care! I’ve had more freedom to be myself in America than I ever did in England. With you I can be myself, go on adventures and write as I please. And besides, I know I could only accept a mate who would love me unconditionally as who I am, not because of what I am,” she smiled, taking his hand and once she was standing, dipping into a mock curtsy.

“Goodnight m’lady,” James bowed, kissing Sarah’s hand and leading her to the stairs. As she climbed the first step James stopped, watching her go towards her room. 

“Goodnight my alpha,” she whispered before disappearing up the stairs. James watched her go before deciding to set the printing press to calm his mind before retiring for the night.

“I love you,” he whispered on deaf ears as she stood alone in the dark room, knowing that Sarah’s departure would tear his soul in two.


End file.
